What Silk Touch changes
Normally mining destroys the block's form: stone becomes cobblestone, grass becomes dirt, ores drop raw materials, glass shatters. With Silk Touch the block itself drops as an item, so you can move glass, grass blocks, ice, mycelium, podzol, glowstone, sea lanterns, bookshelves, ender chests and ore blocks without breaking them.
Where Silk Touch is genuinely useful
- Collecting glass and stained glass without breaking it
- Moving grass blocks, mycelium and podzol for builds
- Harvesting ice and packed ice
- Getting ore blocks intact (for storage or decoration)
- Collecting ender chests, beehives and sculk sensors intact
Silk Touch vs Fortune
The two conflict on the same tool. Fortune multiplies ore and crop drops and is better for resource gathering; Silk Touch preserves blocks. Most players keep two pickaxes, or use Silk Touch on a shovel and Fortune on a pickaxe, and swap depending on the job.